The 'Robin Hooders' sound like total jackasses. If they simply stuck to pumping money into meters, nobody would care. But it really does sound like some of them (all of them?) also spend a hell of a lot of time harassing the people doing the 'meter maid' jobs.

.... they are doing a good thing (with the meters) why ruin it by harassing people who are just trying to make a living?

Some people just amaze me.

However I think the welfare of our democracy requires us to allow this type of activism regardless of its merit from a pubic policy standpoint.

fucking with that town's revenue. They will get the shaft in the end of this. Money trumps EVERYTHING in amerika. Right on to the Robin Hooders.

That out-of-towner might get (and ignore) a ten or fifteen dollar ticket, but if revenues go down, then property taxes go up. All the Robin Hooders are doing is shifting the cost on to people who are already shouldering the lion's share of the burden to pay the town's operating costs.

This outfit is called Free Keene. I've been following their stunts for a while. They have LOTS of YouTube videos.

They do two things, one that's okay and one a real irritant.

The "Robin Hooding" thing, I think is okay.

The real irritant is the other half of their agenda: one of their leaders is a guy who's legally changed his name to "Ian Freeman." Ian is a real piece of work. He has this obsession with breaking the law just enough to get caught - five over the speed limit, parking at an unfed meter during a street festival, driving around with a homemade license plate - then demands a full-blown trial and stretches it out as long as he possibly can. There are several over-one-hour videos showing his parking ticket trials.

"starve the beast" thing, and I kind of agree with him. There are too many damned laws in this country. Every aspect of our lives are measured, surveilled, regulated. We have politicians and judges on power trips, controlling us, and fining us at every turn. Legislatures are passing more and more laws every day. So I applaud this guy pumping quarters into meters, to keep people's hard earned money out of the hands of corrput city officials.
And if the meter maids are stressed out, they should quit their jobs and do something useful for someone other than the city. If no one would do that job, it wouldn't get done. I seriously doubt the citizens of the town would notice any ill effects.
I don't even take my car down town. I leave it parked in my driveway and take the bus. Saves me stress.

In fact, I think for every new law they make they should be required to remove 2 laws.

Last edited Sun Nov 23, 2014, 10:25 PM - Edit history (1)

EDIT for you:

That is not to say you support Boehner. That is his official statement on laws and regulations.

Of course that is the position of the Koch brothers who Boehner, Walker, Perry, Cruz, Scott, McConnell, Brownback and so many others have pledged their allegiance.

Hope this clears it up for you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014950357#post23

I was short in my answer to you. If I recall, it was past my bedtime. But I don't support the man the OP is about and you can see why I am concerned that we don't err in a way that benefits the long term goals of people like Boehner.

Once again, I am not inferring that you are Boehner or GOP. But that guy is working on the same goals.

voter ID laws and abortion restrictions or employment protections for county clerks that refuse to process gay marriages come out, you're cool with that, huh?

I suspect your irritation is less about voting rights, marriage equality. abortion and petty theocrats who work in red states to deny LAWS written to maintain a civil society than remarking that the words are the same, no doubt the reasoning and benefits are not the same. But I I don't want to see people taken in by these circuses put on to saound like they are liberating people. They are not, if he cared about the people who might get a ticket, could pay it. No, he wants people to seized on his R(EVOL)ution.

Government exists for to maintain Equality. That requires funding and it's likely that the price of the tickets being made, delivered and dealt with is more than the revenue. And there is redress if one feels it is wrong, but with a corporation, there is none.

Regulations and laws are for the Equality of all getting to use the Commons, the street, etc, and so is what I explained in another post on this thread after.

Boehner made that statement when asked after the WV water pollution if he would support funding for more enforcement or stricter regulation on industry and I quoted what he said. You can either want to end government regulation, including discrimination, which is your example and I have nothing to do with that, I want LAWS made to stop discrimination an those laws that are on the books must be enforced.

Just because I made a quote to someone who stated the same thing as Boehner, does not mean I said that is all his positions. But I am getting tired of the mantra that getting rid of all laws will benefit the majority or minority of us who depend on government to stand in the way of corporations robbing us, churches and RWers destroying the rights of individual to marry, have control over their bodies, or have a chance at good education, clean air and water, food to eat and a roof over their heads.

The 'let's end all government' has a plan to step into that vacuum. And it's s theocracy and corporations telling people what to believe, how to vote, how to live - or anything they want to force down their throats like Hobby Lobby and the Koch brothers.

And the Libertarians who keep on attacking all social programs and spreading conspiracy about them and the schools and all government functions. Also they are against maintaining the Commons in every way. They are the 'Starve the
Beast' crowd, and that is Grover Nordquist's motto. The purpose is to defund the government.

There are states that have allowed private corporations instead of public employees to manage the parking meters. The prices go up and it's solely about profit and not about access to all to share time in a favored spot. There is no day in court, because it's no longer a government function. That's an example of what decades of Koch anti-government propaganda leads to and we should not be cheering.

This is what this guy up there in the OP is playing around is about, and it is what Boehner and the GOP and Tea Party are about. I'm just into seeing past the names and the labels and what the real thinking process is, are people thinking thorough what they cheer here at times, as they do media stories that turn out to be debunked.

I'll make that clear to the poster above you that I replied by linking this post to him. EOM.

into everyone's business, when taxes and fees get too high, people are going to have a problem with it. People are going to find ways of fighting back. To be a pest. Or to make money off of it. You get black markets on anything from guns to drugs to untaxed cigarettes. Guys like Eric Garner selling loosies. People don't want to pay $13 a pack for cigarettes, even if it's to fund "civil society", as you call it. So then when your society starts losing money, you call in thugs like NYPD to take care of it. People resist. They die. People like Eric Garner are the eggs to your great society's omelette.

The problem is their abuse by city officials as easy tax grabs. That's what has given rise to these groups and people sympathizing with them. If you are wealthy, meters are nothing more than an annoyance, even a ticket doesn't make you stress much. But folks such as myself, who sometimes struggles to get through a month, its abusive to be constantly increasing the amounts, and then lessening the time until it runs out as well. And on top of that metering more and more streets, so that one can't even find any free spots, even blocks away from centers of business, to park at. And then add the increase in gas prices through the years, and its getting so that you can't be poor and own and run a car anymore. And anywhere outside of major cities, if you don't have one you are at a big disadvantage.

line like the ones they call sheeple?

Just shove them out of the way and act like you're gonna smack anyone who gets in your way. I see this happening in my blue state more and more often. They go into any business, private meeting or government office and start spouting off to people they don't know and don't give a shit about, effectively trolling locations.

These guys sound like more of the same stuff to me. Feed the meter, fine. Stay to bully the meter reader, not right.

The meters are there to provide access for everyone as a minimal cost to
'share the road.' With no meter, and it's first come, first serve or some freeloader will park and take up the space so no one else gets a chance.

Trolls running loose and everyone thinks it's liberating. Try being on the recieving end of this loutish behavior and not able to be in a public space. No thanks.

I am really uncertain as to what your post is advocating. Is it laws against freeloaders, trolls or bullies? Have you been victimized by all three?

taking time to schedule, put off family obligations, get there and discuss matters, and a Libertarian, Tea Partier, or LaRouche comes into the meeting to disrupt the meeting yelling, yes they are trolling.

I could give several examples, but there is one that might make it easy to you to understand where I'm coming from in my opposition to the hero who harrasses parking meter readers.

My Democratic district held a meeting with Dennis Kucinich and they tried to talk over him and everyone else. People don't come to these meeting to have strangers who have never been there to shout people down. Dennis said he did not agree with them and eventually they shut up and left. They were not Democrats, they had no interest in finding solutions.

They were real life trolls, just like on line trolls, sucking the air out of virtual conversations just as they did there. I've seen them come into public offices and stomp and holler, make snarks and insults when there was nothing being discussed at all politically. Just to make a show and talk down to everyone there, 'the sheeple,' you know, the ones who support public education, the Commons, etc. After they've given everyone a case of heartburn, they leave.

But it's the destruction of civil society is what we're talking about here, where the loudest bully takes over the Common space, but doesn't support the Common space. In each case, they trolled, stressed out workers and the citizens, but no one called to have them arrested. I highly disapprove of this guy's actions, it's not funny.

If you have not been the subject of Tea Party bullying such as went on in 2010 over the ACA, where they didn't like anyone who came to our townhalls to ask for informatiuon, yelling about socialism, death panels, and then taking down the license plates of the citizens who came to get information, at times following them home to harrass them, I consider you fortunate.

Those who have experienced those who come to spit on the Commons and those who don't believe as they do and want to hear all voices, do not want to arrest anyone, just have peaceful discussion about the management of our government and it's laws, take this a bit harder.

Maybe the Robin-Hooders need to incorporate, that's the ticket!

Swearing at the meter maids for simply doing their jobs is obnoxious. Bumping them is assault.

put quarters in if they ever did that to me. Assuming they were still alive.

I'm all for this, but if they ever touch an officer I would be happy to see them buried.

WTF is wrong with you?

It's just that easy...

and verbally abusing officers. Bumping them is assault. Use your words, but keep your hands to yourself.

working people.

That can destroy any support one may have had for a cause, if the actions in fact took place, and they won't win any physical confrontation. Bad strategy.

Don't need meter maids getting involved in the action too.

to grow the fuck up, else they find they have a bit more education to receive.

There is no excuse for that behavior.

Not sure why you would say something so disgusting.

Murdering someone who bumps you is not self-defense. It is murder. But being a keyboard tough guy is pretty easy.

anything else you have to say.

The meter registers that car has moved

All the gripping about these people made them my instant heroes. These are the kind of folks that it took to create this country. Rabble-rousers and belligerents. And they aren't hiding behind Indian costumes and warpaint! They're the kind of people who won't take government bullshit and oppression lying down.

- If it were left to some, we'd be singing Hail to the Queen.

K&R!

In favor of pay stations. And it is impossible for anyone without access to the system to know who is expired and who is not. So enjoy beating "the system" while you can because it won't last much longer.

Get cars into parking garages. Convert the parking lane into a bike lane and wider sidewalk. Parked cars along the street can be deadly for bicycles (how many people fail to check for bikes before flinging the street side door open?) and also makes it harder to see pedestrians.

That's why China is poised to assume full control of the one-world government and establish a global Chinese hegemony...

At least when the Chinese takeover comes marching down 15th street, they'll be bringing along some very beautiful women

All those Dutch riding their bikes along the canals in their wooden shoes and eating licorice. It is disgraceful, I tell ya.